Season Preview: Northern Conference
Longmont has been one of 4A’s elite programs for several years running, while Thompson Valley has tasted plenty of success as well recently. This tends to be a league deep in quality programs that often have closely contested games. This…
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Continue ReadingLongmont has been one of 4A’s elite programs for several years running, while Thompson Valley has tasted plenty of success as well recently. This tends to be a league deep in quality programs that often have closely contested games. This might be one of the tougher 4A leagues to predict with likely a good amount of parity. There may be a rising power in the Northern though, a team that could lay claim to a rare conference crown.
Below is the predicted order of finish:
1. Mountain View (Last season: 15-9 overall, 11-3 in league)
This might be a surprise pick as the Mountain Lions will have to deal with the departure of Jose Orrantia (18.2 ppg), one of 4A’s elite players last season, and Dennis Landry (11.9). But, consider that their junior varsity team finished with a 19-0 record. Sophomore guard Trey Buschke was one of the strong players on that team and could add to a varsity core that returns 10 of 12 players. Mountain View has steadily improved of late, earning tournament bids each of the last three seasons and picking up 11, 12 and 15 wins. Senior guards Brett Corona (9.5 ppg) and Jeremiah Greylock (7.7) will be at the forefront of a program looking to extend their season past the first round for the first time in this promising recent stretch.
2. Longmont (25-2, 14-0)
The kings of the Northern lately, back-to-back final four appearances will earn you that moniker, Longmont said goodbye to a wildly successful senior group led by Boise State recruit Justinian Jessup. Jessup was the CHSAANow 4A player of the year his junior campaign. It was certainly a special class. The top returning scorer is fundamentally sound junior guard Luke Johnson (2.7 ppg). Senior backcourt mate Tol Mugunga (2.6) is also back for a program that has claimed at least 19 wins in six of the past seven seasons. They have more to replace than anyone in the league, but the Trojans have also been a consistent stalwart as much as anyone in the Northern for years.
3. Northridge (10-13, 5-9)
The Grizzlies have 95.9 percent of their scoring intact. 6-3 fourth-year guard Oscar Maldonado (14.5 ppg) is a gifted point-producer who shot 55 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point land a season ago. He is ranked No. 25 in the 2017 class. Northridge has a pretty solid backcourt overall with experienced scorers Nykolas Lange (12.1) and Avery Palma (11.3) also in the mix. With that amount of experience back, look for Northridge to jump into the upper crust of the league.
4. Thompson Valley (16-8, 11-3)
During Josh Robinson’s first two seasons as the head coach, Thompson Valley was in major rebuilding mode. They won three games and two games, but Robinson ignited the program again while posting an 84-40 record in his final five seasons. They reached the Great 8 once in that stretch. Robinson resigned after last season and Joe Johnson steps in for an Eagles program looking to continue their recent success. Julian Espinoza (8.9 ppg) is a sharpshooting senior guard, while Charlie Brunner is an athletic 6-4 swingman who could be in for a really productive junior campaign.
5. Silver Creek (14-10, 8-6)
The Raptors have been steady and solid for a number of years running, posting two of their more successful seasons the past two years with 14-10 records in each. Trent Dykema (10.1 ppg, 2.5 spg) is a top 50 prospect in 2018, a 6-4 guard who is a tough two-way talent. Sam Schlegel provides size as a 6-6 senior. In a league that may possess parity between a number of the teams, Silver Creek is absolutely right in the thick of it.
6. Greeley Central (3-20, 1-13)
The Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 three seasons ago, but have a combined 5-41 record the past two seasons in struggling to account for the loss of a senior-heavy class. Better days could be ahead for Central though. Xavier Bonham, Jordan Cervantes, Jacob Vega, and Steven Maldonado were the team’s top scorers and they were all sophomores or juniors. Their sixth and seventh leading scorers also return. The Wildcats might rise in the pecking order.
7. Niwot (8-15, 4-10)
Adam Barber (6.7 ppg), a 6-4 senior small forward, will look to bolster the green and white. Niwot has been a prosperous sports school, but has battled bouts of hoops inconsistency. Often in recent years though, a struggle of a season has been followed by an over .500 campaign. That could be the case again.
8. Centaurus (8-15, 2-12)
The Warriors are after their first winning record since finishing 19-6 during the 2009-10 season. Travis Moran, with two winning campaigns under his belt in three seasons during a previous stint at Niwot, will be in his second season at Centaurus. A relatively youthful group, the Warriors can rely on Eric Gambon, a multi-talented senior guard who posted averages of 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Centaurus hopes to find their footing again.
Preseason Player of the Year
Oscar Maldonado, 6-3 senior guard, Northridge
All-Northern Team
Oscar Maldonado, 6-3 senior guard, Northridge
Brett Corona, 6-0 senior guard, Mountain View
Trent Dykema, 6-4 junior guard, Silver Creek
Eric Gambon, 6-0 senior guard, Centaurus
Charlie Brunner, 6-4 junior forward, Thompson Valley